So How was it??

[mdf_jersey]

How did everyone fair over the Christmas sales season??

My self it could have been better, but I cant really fault Ebay completely as far as not getting more sales. No fault of my own( maybe a little) I wasn't ready with a full stock count.

I sell on Ebay ca and Ebay .com and .com beat  ca hands down. For me , I am glad I made the choice to switch my other account to .com. I will most likely switch this one to .com soon as well.

One thing I noticed this year. It seemed the christmas shopping on Ebay started really late. For me anyways, it seemed there was only 2 good weeks of sales. Last week of November and the first week of January. In other years, I had more success through out November to around the 10th of December.

[ricarmic]

My sales have been very choppy, although thankfully big chops!

My annual sales this year look to be finishing about 15% higher than 2015. Several factors have caused that.

December has been extremely choppy, the chart is somewhat crazy, but the month will be likely over 30% higher than December last year. I've had a few "big" lots go (virtually all to regular repeat buyers) so that has helped.

I also stopped all my "generate sales" efforts from about mid December, my sales and promoted items all stopped, I stopped listing new items etc to slow down sales over the holidays to try to allow more family time...

[reallynicestamps]

Quite good and a surprising amount of postage, which sells to eBay sellers, for what that's worth.

And as usual about equal in numbers between dotCOM and dotCA , but sales in loonies about a third higher in value.

I notice that AZ is boasting that they shipped one billion parcels in 2016 but are not talking about dollar value on that.

I am suspicious of the numbers because:

• most of their sales are to the USA, but they don't say so.
• I find it hard to believe that more than half of the US population is buying (too old, too young, too poor)
• which means that each US citizen received seven shipments from AZ alone.

I may be overly skeptical, but I keep remembering the 'million dollar catsuit'.

An Ottawa hitech millionaire paraded his wife in a custom made leather catsuit with a diamond fixed over the left nipple*.

He told the press that the publicity was worth a million bucks.

The press reported that the catsuit cost a million bucks.

Words are important.

* Yes it was a crass as it sounds.https://auntiefashion.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/marlen-cowpland/

[Anonymous]

Horrible experience in 9 years as seller!!  I used to sell a lot of items like 2-3 items every day in the month of December every year until this year!!  Hope it is not becoming a trend!  Hope 2017 is much better.

[musicyouneed]

Mine sales for Dec were OK, not as good as 2014 or 2015.   About 80% down and I have much more listed. 

I have been doing some research searches.  

Ebay just has to make up with google.  I use google for everything and it is like ebay does not exist.  Everything other site shows up but ebay.

[mcrlmn]

Twice the number of listings this year, but...
Dec: Down 65% from last year.
Nov: 60% down.

A lot of lookie-loos, but a lot less takers.

[lukey9]

I was down 15 % for December and down 52 %  for the year so far. Allot of it was self inflicted as I shut down  over the summer and the lead up to the so called Postal strike. I did allot for Shows and Markets this year for a change and my sales were very good at them with no hassles and cash sales and no fees except for the tables.

[cumos55]

Sales have been very.. very.. very good...

That depends primarily on what I sell..

My focus is Canada  and everything Canadian...  Selling in Canadian dollars has been an advantage..... My US buyers are still there

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The biggest thing that happened in 2016 was the  adjustment required when eBay said no more listings in US dollars on eBay Canada.

Many sellers have and will continue to adjust.

Some will stay and do very well with Canadian dollars on eBay Canada... while others will continue with US dollars  on eBay.com.

Some sellers will make the choice of selling on both eBay Canada  in Canadian dollars  and on eBay.com in US dollars....

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Everything depends on what one sells.....   and do US buyers understand  what it means to buy when a listing is in Canadian dollars.

US buyers "are" adjusting

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In order to be successful one must continue to work the listings on eBay... Add new listings... rework the old listings... and then delete old listing to be saved for the future.... 

Competition will always be a factor to consider.....what are they selling... Where  are they and what is their pricing...

What can each seller do to be "more visible " on eBay....  and  to make it happen on eBay...

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There are a lot of things to do...  and then be successful

and then... there will be those  that just give up.....

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Many new sellers come to eBay with a plan.. to sell..... They do well for a while and then sales die... People must learn how to adjust.. and how to keep it happening.... Never let things go "stale"  .

and.. then come the eBay rules......Some adjust... while others never learn how to adjust.....  Too focused  on what "they" want to do

[cumos55]

Those that come with a preconceived notion of how to sell on eBay  MUST adjust, and learn how to sell on eBay.... and in relation to eBay policy....

They must learn what NOT to do.

Before anyone starts to sell on eBay they must ask ....

"Who am I?,  

and ...

How will I deal with people that I do NOT see in person?...

[gifts_of_elegance]

Who am I?

I sold toys as a teen-ager.

My first full time job was selling furniture.

I am a former real estate broker.

I know that the Customer is King!

I must have brought some sales experience with me because I started out by selling cross stitch magazines and built my business up to what it is today.

I became Silver Power seller in three months and made Gold in Six.  Eventually I made Platinum. Then came the selling limit so I would have time to "get to know my business."  

The past few years I have five times as many listings, many in large quantities, popular LARGE Brands,  and a selling limit in double digit millions and yet I am about to hit Bronze Power Seller after over 12 years.  My sales this year were 25% of what it was in my second year.  

First 6 years, I did not have time to set up a Christmas tree and depended on my kids to do the festivities.  This year I closed up in mid December because many days I did not have a sale.

Its bad enough that Customer Service always try to put the blame on the seller, but I really question the motive of other sellers. Do they actually believe that its really the seller's fault?

[westernstargifts]

My sales have not been good this year but I did shut down for many months for personal reasons.

In November I began listing fixed price items on .com.  Usually I will run auctions as well.  Although they don't do well, my FP listings seem to do better when I run the auctions.  I didn't have time to do both and sales have been dismal.  I don't know what the answer is but I don't think that is the only reason that sales are so poor.

This month it is 10 years since I began selling on eBay.  I started out listing items for sale at 99 cents, just like eBay suggested.  After they sold for 99 cents and not much more I slowly began increasing the prices.  Even at those low prices and probably no more than 40 different items that I was selling I did make bronze in the first 3 months.  I wouldn't qualify right now if we still had to do the $1,000 per month that we had to do then.

[ypdc_dennis]

December has been spiky with a spike in the last 36 hours pushing me up and over last year's December on eBay. Thanks gingerbread man (*).  Over on the A-river December sales are down 90% compared to last year (with no sales in the last 3 weeks of stuff that is selling on eBay).

For the year, first 5 months on eBay were a bit weak compared to 2015, but June/July/August was down over 50% due the postal uncertainties (I kept selling). Impact of the switch to Cdn$ on eBay..CA for me was none (I had one US$ listing on eBay.CA the rest were already in Cdn$ or in US$ on eBay.com)

2017 will see me focus more on eBay and the A-river will become the bit player. A complete change in less than 4 years.

...

(*) courtesy of Red Rose tea many years ago

[cumos55]

When I started on eBay in January-February 2003... I sold everything and almost anything except books.

Before eBay I sold at local auctions.... both within Winnipeg  and elsewhere in southern Manitoba.

I would find furniture at garage sales... refinish and sell at auction.... collectable glassware and more...   but  very selective inventory 

and then eBay started for me..... did very well at auction... always started  at a price  I would sell at if there was only one bidder... . lots of music books and sheet music... Lego.... hockey collectables...artwork.....Model railroad items,, HO scale... plus Triang-Hornby  with Canadian railway markings  plus more.... sold worldwide... Canadian glassware... pottery   and other collectables  I could could find at good prices at garage sales  and the few thrift stores in Winnipeg.

The really special items were collectable toys.... glassware....  and more unique items  being sold on eBay.

One thing I never did was start an auction at 99 cents..... sales were always... good...at a very good start price.... with some exceptions.

Then came fixed price and I never listed an auction again.

The final thing was books... and today it is 100 % books.... although after Christmas I will be selling some old inventory from years ago.  Much of my old inventory was already sold at local auctions.....  I did well because this inventory was found well over 5 years ago  at relatively low p[rices

My approach to the selling of books  in one specific  Canadian category has made my sales very good.....  and that will continue into 2017 and beyond... as long as I keep selling on eBay.

I have been able to  continue with good sales, mainly because of what I sell.  eBay brings in new rules  and my sales continued as I adjusted...

It is mainly because of what I sell that I continue to do well..  with lots of new unique inventory to list..... It is the new inventory ... books only...that sell well... with older inventory  filling in on a regular basis.

One thing I learned was to sell at the right price... especially when I started selling at a fixed price.....

and then I started with unique books... and I learned how to sell books.....  to compete with the low cost of USPS media mail shipping...

December 2016  was very good mainly because of what I sell.   and perhaps  the fact  I was able to sell at the right price.... It was the right price  because people bought at that price.

and for now  I will continue.....  the right inventory  at a right price.

[ricarmic]

These discussions often get one thinking about stuff one wouldn't otherwise!

Of the "who am I sort":

I've been selling on eBay since 1999, I've been selling stamps since 1978, full time since 2008.

The comparison of years ago till today got me thinking about what my experience was, I haven't looked that information up for some time!

It is easiest for me to trace eBay sales since 2010 so I'll just do that.

Note that the numbers look quite different if one compares US$ basis vs C$ basis (remember I only sell on .COM in US$)

If the Year 2010 is the 100% mark (it is probably my highest annual ebay sales number ever anyway)

Comparison in raw US$ basis:

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2011 ebay sales dropped 8%

2012 ebay sales dropped 13% below 2011, (20% below 2010) 

2013 ebay sales dropped 9% below 2012, (27% below 2010)

2014 ebay sales dropped 8% below 2013, (33% below 2010)

2015 ebay sales dropped 13% below 2014, (58% below 2010)* 

2016 ebay sales increased about 22% above 2015, (29% below 2010)

Comparison in C$ basis**:

=====================

2011 ebay sales dropped 13%  (this was the year our dollar was worth more than the US$!!!)

2012 ebay sales dropped 9% below 2011, (21% below 2010) 

2013 ebay sales dropped 6% below 2012, (26% below 2010)

2014 ebay sales dropped 5% below 2013, (29% below 2010)

2015 ebay sales dropped 2% below 2014, (31% below 2010)* 

2016 ebay sales increased about 26% above 2015, (12% below 2010)

*Family illness pulled me away from ebay enough during prime selling time to likely account for 8% US$ decline

**Used June $C/$US conversion rate

So the $US/$C conversion has much lessened the impact of (until this year) continually declining raw sales $$ because our $C has fallen enough, especially in the last couple years to help significantly.

2016 was also a year that my continual experimentation seemed to generate more than usual success, hopefully I can continue that trend into 2017.